The story behind Carla Neggers' 'Saint's Gate'

New York Times bestselling author Carla Neggers is a people person, known for creating memorable characters and placing them in extraordinary situations.

Her latest book, “Saint’s Gate,” introduces readers to FBI agent Emma Sharpe, a former nun who is now an expert in art crimes, and Colin Donovan, a deep-cover agent. They are embroiled in a murder and art theft case that will take them from Maine to Ireland.

“Art has been an ever-present influence in my life,” Neggers said. “My mom was very visual, an inspired quilter.

“One of my uncles, who was captured by the Nazis during World War II, was an avid painter, and my roommates in college were artists. I’m fascinated by high-stakes international art theft and I continue to be intrigued by the still-unsolved theft at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990.”

For Neggers, doing book tours never gets old.

“I enjoy meeting readers and talking about reading and books,” she said.

“People are so nice,” Neggers said. “They usually talk about my current book, tell me about their favorites or the kinds of books they like to read.”

While some of Neggers’ settings are fictional, she’s traveled to others, such as Kenmare in Ireland, an important setting in “Saint’s Gate.” There’s a pivotal scene at St. Finian’s Holy Well, an actual place she has visited.

“I went while writing ‘Saint’s Gate,’” Neggers said. “A good chunk of the book was written in a little Irish cottage where I stayed alone.

“Ireland is dotted with different wells. To get to this one, you go through an old, old graveyard at the ruins of St. Finian’s Church. The well was tucked into the hill and it was a very spooky place.”

Another setting, Heron’s Cove, a little town in southern Maine, is fictional.

“But I’ve spent lots and lots of time in southern Maine,” Neggers said. “I kind of take a little bit of this and a little bit of that when I create a place.”

As one of seven children, Neggers often needed some space when she was growing up in western Massachusetts.

“I would climb a tree with a pad and pen for a long time and sit up here and write. It was a nice little escape.”

The family lived in an 18th century carriage house.

“We did a lot of digging in the garden, weeding, hauling and scraping as our family transformed this house,” Neggers said.

“While we were working, my mind would wander, and I would make up stories,” she said. “Always, there was a sense of adventure and a strong sense of place.”

Neggers starts most days with a brisk hike just before the sun is up at her mountain home in central Vermont. Throughout her career, she has written more than 60 books, 21 of them New York Times bestsellers.

Although Neggers wanted to write fiction, she didn’t think of it as a career, so she became a music major.

“Everything that I learned in music translates oddly enough into writing,” she said. “Sometimes I say I write a book like I read a piece of music.”

Her next book, “Secrets of the Lost Summer,” is already finished. She’ll now begin working on a sequel to “Saint’s Gate” called “Heron’s Cove.”

“‘Saint’s Gate’ has been a departure for me.” Neggers said. “It’s still strong romantic suspense, though.”

At times, Neggers knows where an idea for a book comes from. “But often it just comes to me,” she said. “I very much saw the first scene of ‘Saint’s Gate.’ I could see Emma standing at the convent gate and I knew that she knew that convent.

“It never changed, but sometimes I’ll write a scene that doesn’t end up being the scene I thought it was,” Neggers said. “I didn’t know everything about Emma until I got her moving and talking.

“When I first started to think about selling my writing, I heard the term ‘romantic suspense,’” she said. “I don’t really think of it that way. For me, it’s about relationships and storytelling.”

MEET THE AUTHOR

Fans can meet Carla Neggers at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 23 at Barnes and Noble, 7804 Abercorn St., Savannah, where she will sign her latest book. For information, call 912-353-7757.